Huaraz

Diocese of Huaraz (Huaraziensis)

Suffragan of Lima. It comprises the entire department of Ancachs in the Republic of Peru.

Originally, Huaraz formed part of the Archdiocese of Lima, but on 15 May, 1899, it was erected into a separate diocese by the Bull "Catholicae Ecclesiae gobernio" of Leo XIII. Mgr Francisco de Sales Soto was made its first bishop (February, 1901), and upon his death (April, 1903) Mgr Mariano Holguin succeeded to the episcopal chair (October, 1904). In July, 1906, Bishop Holguin was transferred to Arequipa ; and the present incumbent, Mgr Pedro Pascual Farfan, was installed in 1907.

The Diocese of Huaraz is divided into 51 parishes, with the episcopal see located in the city of Huaraz, which is the capital of the department of Ancachs. The chapter consists of one dean, one canon theologian, one canon penitentiary, and one honorary canon. Ancachs is in the northern part of Peru and extends from the Andes to the coast. The chief occupations are agriculture and cattle raising, although silver-mining is carried on, intermittently, in the mountains. It is 17,405 square miles in area and contains a population estimated at 428,000, almost entirely Catholic. The Catholic religion is the state religion, although other forms of worship are not interfered with, and education is compulsory for both sexes.

The city of Huaraz contains a high school, college, and seminary, as well as a hospital which is administered by the Franciscan Fathers. One of the most interesting landmarks in Huaraz is the cemetery wall, which is inlaid with a collection of sculptured stones, known to have been the handiwork of the ancient Peruvians.